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Seeing the two short nuisances taken down by the windy one, Bregolas nods his thanks. He wastes no time dashing straight for the grey-robed mage.
Armed or unarmed, he risks any potential attacks of opportunity by circling quickly around and flanking the caster, and also preventing his escape.
In a stern and commanding voice, "You... are not going anywhere."
The agents try to finish off their attackers.
Tsukai spins and whirls his exotic chained weapon about before swinging at the caster. His arc is wide and the mage ducks the blow.
Bregolas dashes to cut off the mages escape. The grey caster reveals a dagger and slashes at the spry elf. The deft ranger easily dodges the clumsy attempt.
The green robes woman's feet begin to slip and splay as the magical grease spreads about the floor. She falls flat on her face but attempts to get to her feet. Carefully, she manages to stand and regain her footing.
Round 3
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Grey
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Tsukai
Bregolas(-6)
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Blue (out)
Green
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Auryn
Cyclone
Arklore
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Purple (out)
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Rengel
Cyclone speeds over to the enemy in the exit stairwell and slams into it one more time. Air and mist pummel the foe violently.
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"You've had your chance, now suffer the consequences."
Regnel takes a second to draw his shield off his back and then takes a quick step to close with the grey assassin.
Swinging his weapon, he attempts to finish off the foe once and for all. Unfortunately, it appears that his blow went wide and missed the mark.
The party closes in to finish off the last of the attackers. Auryn uses their strength in numbers to try to weaken the enemy's resolve. The grey caster's yes go wide and he takes a step backward in fear.
Arklore hands morph into viscous claws as he runs into the battle.
The cyclone tries to bite the mage, but misses.
Rengel also presses the attack but is unable to bring his ancient balde to bear on the caster.
The mage, panic settling in, acts out in desperation. He takes a step away from foes surrounding him and attempts to ward off Bregolas as he spins his hands in practiced arcane gestures. The stress of his plight is too much and his spell dies before he can release its energy.
Sighing, the mage hangs his head and raises them in defeat. The green robed woman slips again, then merely sits up and makes a similar gesture.
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Tsukai takes the arm of the grey robed caster and leads him over to his companion. Surrender shows wisdom. We now show mercy. Sit here. Tsukai points to a place near the wall and crouches down in front of the caster. He begins to stare intently into the caster's eyes and his voice takes on a relaxing and hypnotic tone. We will not harm you or your companion. We just seek answers
Please tell us why you are here and why you attacked?
The captives remain silent as they are interrogated by the agents. The mage resists Tsukai's attempt to place him into a trance. Rengel finds a holy symbol of Norgober on the green robed woman, a hint as to the attackers' purpose. After several attempts, the agents are convinced that the ambushers are experienced enough to resist their attempts at further interrogation.
Leaving the crypt, the agents find the crowd gathered around the Starstone Cathedral has disbanded, and many of the locals are still horrifed following Sir Reinhart’s attempt to vault the chasm on horseback, which ended with a fall into oblivion.
The agents lead their prisoners as well as the cache of papers back to the Grand Lodge where they find Master Dreng having a spot of tea in one of the many rooms of the Lodge. The old master smiles and greets the agents warmly.
"Ah, back from a full day, agents. Tell me, how did the day find you?"
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When the mage surrenders, Bregolas gives him a grim look that says, Damn right you're surrendering.
He watches as his fellow agents try their best to get information out of the two to no avail. Shrugging, he wonders if they shouldn't end them anyway, but leaves it be.
On hearing about Sir Reinhart, Bregolas simply shakes his head. And with a disappointed tone, "Humans."
Back at the Lodge, Bregolas gives Tsukai a sideways glance after his nonchalant report to the master. Yet he reveals little more with his own enigmatic addition, "Twas a bit more than that."
Eyeballing the bar, the warrior spots a familiar keep and requests another of those ales he had earlier. He advises her in a loud whisper before returning to the group, "You'd best do something about that rodent problem in the cellar, you know."
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"Well, I'm not sure if it was your intention or not, but we stumbled across a bit of a mystery while we were searching the wine cellar. We found a room that had belonged to the famous Pathfinder Selmius Foster and discovered that he had been on the trail of another Pathfinder, Eylysia, who he suspected of keeping some of her findings from the Society."
"Luckily some of Selmius' leads were still useful even though he's been dead for some 400 years - that gnome in particular must be ancient by now - and we tracked down Eylysia's records. And we also captured these Norgorberite assassins who must have been on the hunt for the same secrets as we were."
Regnel deposits the collection of papers they found in Eylysia's stash in front of Master Dreng.
"I'm not sure what we should do with these captives, by the way. They attacked us in the Shrine of the Fallen, and I suppose that the authorities should be informed, especially considering the dead bodies of their friends we left behind. But we thought that the Society might be interested in questioning them before they were handed over to the city guard."
"I for one will be interested in finding out what it was the Eylysia was hiding. The thought of digging through these old papers and organizing them for the Society archives is a pretty exciting opportunity."
Dreng gives the party a wry smile and signals for a man to take the gathered papers.
"Hmm, well. I always say a good vintage leads to an adventure, yes? Well done agents. This cache looks to be a fantastic find. Who knows what treasures those two were after? I look forward to finding out. Og, as for those dregs, I am sure the power that be will see that they are thoroughly questioned, I would not worry about them again."
The Master bids the party farewell and tells them to go and celebrate, job well done.
Water laps steadily at the pier as sailors, laborers, and merchants rush busily around Absalom’s port. The venture-captain’s summons called for a meeting aboard the Sixwing Drake, a sleek sailing ship. The Drake’s captain, a Varisian woman and fellow Pathfinder named Zarah Zendrani, stands at the helm of her vessel. “It’s not like Valsin to be late,” she mutters, furrowing her brow. As if on cue, a tall and meticulously groomed man pushes his way through the crowd and up the gangplank, cursing audibly. “Whoever supervises this mess of a port needs to be dumped in
the sea!” he grumbles.
The tall man looks around at those gathered before him. “Just the group I requested. Perfect. I’m Venture- Captain Ambrus Valsin, and I took great
care in selecting just the right Pathfinders for this assignment.” Valsin reaches into his belt pouch and withdraws a small, folded paper before continuing. “A few days ago, I received a curious note from a rather unexpected source. It’s not every day that I get a request from an agent of the Aspis Consortium.” Captain Zendrani’s eyes widen, and Valsin smiles knowingly. “But Magali Delroya does not appear to be your typical Aspis agent. As you surely know, the Aspis Consortium pursues a variety of activities across the Inner Sea that the Pathfinder Society finds abhorrent. It seems that Delroya has been working with them for some time, but can no longer stomach the snakes herself. She wants to stop a shipment of an experimental drug from leaving Diobel later this week. It’s bound for a number of locations across the Inner Sea region. According to Delroya, she can’t ask the local authorities for help, because the Aspis Consortium has already struck a deal with a faction of the Kortos Consortium, a powerful merchant collective. Her hands are tied, so she’s come to us for help. In this note, she outlines three different tasks that would help to disrupt the Aspis long enough for her to move the shipment to a secure location, out of the clutches of the consortium. Once you accomplish two of these tasks, she’s willing to meet with you, but not before."
“Normally, I wouldn’t trust an Aspis agent at any hour of the day. But our sources in Diobel have confirmed the Aspis and Kortos consortia’s activities. Everything checks out, so we are presented with a unique opportunity. If we help Delroya, we might not only strike a financial blow against the Aspis Consortium, but we could also reveal their dealings with the Kortos Consortium—and possibly prevent their arrangement from turning into a more formal alliance. Furthermore, we hope to stop this drug from spreading across the Inner Sea region, and if we—if all of you—do a good enough job, we might even convince Delroya to join the Society. A turncoat agent would be a valuable asset in our ongoing run-ins with the Aspis Consortium."
“Take some time to look over Delroya’s note and the tasks she has set for you. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask. Remember, the Aspis Consortium is a long-time enemy of the society, but the Kortos Consortium, while certainly suspicious, is not our enemy. It is a complex organization with many factions, and we should avoid antagonizing any of them, except when necessary to oppose the Aspis Consortium.”
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Tsukai steps up and nods in greeting to his fellow agents Good to see everyone again
He turns his scaly head in the direction of Auryn as she speaks Trust must be earned. I trust nobody unless actions prove they can be. It is wise to be cautious. I wonder what we must do tobearn trust of Apsis agent?
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Bregolas stands with arms crossed over his chest as the gathering proceeds. Even a fairly astute companion of his would notice he now has a larger and more powerful elvish bow strapped across his back.
Bregolas's stern attention to the venture-captain is what one would expect of a veteran elvish soldier. The elf listens with full attention as he details the next mission.
When the mission briefing is completed, Bregolas nods in acknowledgement of his orders. He furrows a brow at Auryn's usual and charming excitement, nodding in acknowledgement of her presence as well. Though one might detect the slightest hint of a smile? Perhaps. In any event, he simply answers her, "No, not yet. Alas, there is but one way to find out her true intentions."
When Tsukai speaks, the warrior nods to his suggestions. With a knowing smirk, "People skills are not exactly my forte. I concur with your choices, Tsukai."
Ambrus awaits any questions and the party may draw upon their local knowledge to see if they know of anything useful.
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Tsuaki stands with a blank stare on his face. His scaly features not revealing his current mood and his unblinking eyes looking ahead as if unaware of his surroundings. Slowly, a soft hiss is released from his mouth I was thinking for a moment. Ship may be best attempt at success. I can scale side of ship, with another to get papers. Need someone who knows what papers look like. Others can distract crew. Maybe as inspectors of cargo. Maybe as business men wanting to ship cargo....whatever makes sense...they decide. May not look good if all try to sneak in. Thoughts? Tsukai's lidless eyes then fall upon those who have spoken to join in the adventurer.
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Bregolas's brows furrow. "I could join you. Though..." He glances at the jubilant summoness, "I suppose you could make a suitable distraction. But you will need help."
Bregolas turns to make a visual sweep of the deck, narrowing his eyes at a few passersby on the pier, wondering if anyone is late to the meeting. He turns to look at Ambrus, "Might anyone else be joining us in this endeavor, Venture-Captain?"
He adds, giving the ship another visual sweep, "And I presume we are standing on our passage to Diobel?"
A course of action being decided upon, the group makes their way to the vessel take them to Diobel. Captain Zebdrani awaits their passage upon the Sixwing Drake.
Captain Zendrani and the crew of the sleek Sixwing Drake steer the ship up to the massive barrier of broken war-barges, crumbling walls, and jetties of iron and wood that protect the port of Diobel. "Well, here we are,” says the captain. “I’ll make sure everything is in order with Diobel’s inspectors and charter you a barge to the port. You aren’t carrying anything particularly valuable, so you shouldn’t draw much attention from the inspectors or pilots, so long as you don’t run your mouth. My crew and I will wait here with the ship. You can return here to rest, if you need to, but remember—there isn’t much time!”
The group arrives in Diobel during sunrise on Oathday. Zendrani slips a barge captain several gold pieces as a sign of good faith. She asks him if he could do her the favor of sticking around on shore for the day in case anyone needs to return to the ship. The captain is a stocky middle-aged man with weather-beaten skin and calloused hands by the name of Markus Karbie, and he accepts Zendrani’s deal. The barge journey from the barrier to the coast is uneventful; the barge captain respects Zendrani’s gold and doesn’t ask the questions.
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As Auryn and Tsukai discuss plans, Bregolas nods in agreement with the nagaji while catching sight of the barge captain. He walks over to ask "A question, Captain Karbie. Do you know of the Blue Dragon's Bite?"
His elf eyes then spot a familiar face onboard the barge. Bregolas greets Arklore with an exaggerated frown of disapproval. "So. You decided to show up after all. Humans. So unpredictable."
Looking the sorcerer up and down, he adds, cracking a slight smile, "I don't suppose you still have that bottle of wine from the Wounded Wisp's cellar."
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"Fun?" Bregolas seems unconvinced of this part, furrowing a brow back at her.
However, he concedes, "Hmpf. I suppose your skill set would fall into line with such an endeavor." And by this, the soldier appears sincere rather than condescending. For Bregolas remembers seeing Auryn's fire and steel come out at the end of their last adventure together. It's a sight which demonstrated she's a force to be reckoned with when push comes to shove.
The party sets off to complete their first task, retrieving shipping documents from the Blue Dragon's Bite.
A maze of broken ships forms an artificial reef blocking Diobel’s harbor. This treacherous and erratic terrain teems with laborers, barge masters, pilots, and port inspectors, who busily conduct their business ferrying goods to and from the Bristles. Beyond the Trawl, seagoing ships wait their turn to of offload cargo or pick up new goods. One ship stands out among the others—the freshly touched-up paint on its hull, blue with streaks of white lightning along the hull, marks it as the Blue Dragon’s Bite. It sits moored to a dock jutting from the Trawl, with several crates already of offloaded nearby, and many more waiting piled on its deck.
As the party approaches, a man is at the entrance to the ship is arguing with a woman. The closer they get, they can overhear part of what the man is saying.
"Fees! Bah! More like piracy! Your custom's fees are criminal I tell you. Criminal!"
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Bregolas shakes his head at the bickering for a moment. In a low voice, he says to Tsukai, "An excellent diversion. So. Can your kind... swim?"
As he whispers to the nagaji, his eyes casually glance around the ship. He scans the deck for others besides the two arguing, and peeks through any portholes for crew below deck.
Additionally, Bregolas tries to spy where there might be a door on deck, or portholes large enough to climb into... in short, how to get into the ship and find the captain's cabin most expediently.
Finally, the elf looks around more broadly to make out the least conspicuous location to get into the water, swim to the ship, and climb aboard or into a porthole.
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Tsukai nods to Bregolas I can swim if water not too choppy
Tsukai examines the ship for the best place to stealthily climb aboard that is closest to captain's quarters
If two of us poking a thumb at himself and Bregolas sneak aboard. Can you two keep others busy? Any ideas if things go bad? Tsukai awaits for a response as he continues to scan his surroundings
Tsukai and Bregolas believe they can sneak aboard the ship by swimming to the other side and climb aboard as long as the sailor is engaged otherwise. The rear of the ship is most likely where captain's cabin is located.
Tsukai and Bregolas dive into the water and make their way aboard the ship...
Arklore and Auryn try to add to the distraction...
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"I have an idea..." Auryn says.
She performs a ritual to summon her Eidolon, then says "Chase me around, blow and bluster like you are so good at. It will be like a game," she says to Cyclone.
With instructions in place, she waits for her companions to swim to the ship, then stands on the deck and starts screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Help! Something is attacking me!"
Auryn makes a spectacle of being attacked by her eidolon. Her shouts and screams draw the attention of several sailors and works on the dock as well as that of the persons on the ship.
A person emerges from the crowd, dressed in the garb of a city guardsman, and approaches Auryn, drawing a short sword as he moves forth. "Ma'am are you in distress? What is the trouble?"
The pair on the ship watch the commotion long enough not to notice the stealth nagaji ninja hop on the deck and sneak toward the back of the ship.